Vehicle body



May 6, 1930.

J. M. HowE. VEHICLE BODY Filed sept. 6, 1924 3 sheets-sheet 1 /A/VE/VrO/P A772 ADA/f ys VEHICLE BODY Filed'Sept. 6, 19.24 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2

ATTORNEYS May 6, 1930. J. M. Howl-z 1,757,194

VEHICLE BODY Filed sept. 6, 1924 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented May s, 1930 i 1,757,194rivr JAf-MEssMaHowEgg OFUOIEVEIANDUHEIGHTS; omer; AssIGNoRetTo :'IIIELMURRAY: Peoria moms.:ooMBANYgsoEQLENELAND;omo,A CORPORATION oF MICHIGAN vieran-:Lr: isoDYA;

f Application*niearseptembeae, 1924. seriaifno. 73eme This "inventionris l oonoernediwith veli'iriles` andibas tonite-general' object the provision/ of "a:spri'i'rgjsuspended'` yehiolegbbdyfoonstruoi' tion Vhavngza. Chassis builtinto; arrdicomprise fing ^partzof"'the body otthewehiole': Y

Atfurtherobjeototlmy-inventiorristhepror t vision loffa'presseddrietal tbody;` fora-toyye;A hiole `of'the` 3 ot'- propelled type', ,the fbody beihg' formed to N"present*,:thet' usual streamline design-butfcomprisinggaflight rigid'f'operr 5 bottom construction,tolwhih a: V full-spring *Y suspension mayrfbe direotlyfattaohe'd vandy which `irvolves the juse :.ofonly a' minirrium,` numberof parts;- V

' Gtherfob" jects] 'ofmyjirijventmnwill "heroine after'b'e Vset fortlriii'the following des orir'itim` referring'` to the; acoompauying drawingsftilfl lustratiiigfa preferredform thereof?? The; essentialAJ characteristics are Asummarized 1n' the drawiiigsgliigfilds 'ai plarl :view `oft f the body of a toy' vehicle" constructed in' ace v cordance kwith*tlretoloie'cts; offmyninverltion Vl5`ig, 2 is a longitudinal'Zcrossseotiorralgelevae 'tiontaken through theib'odyj; Fig?) isa'cross. sectional plaid..Viewtaken` through the rear portion of the body.' substantially A along the Y linev 3%!-3 oV'FigQQ ligigY .Lfis'ja.cross-seotional elevation takerilalolig thelir'ie 4'-f.4"of Fig 1S.'- Sfi'Fi'g" 15 is aafr'ont .end elevationl of the loodyj with .v the l front or radiator 2 panel fomittedi Fig.; Gis va plan; View of :thfej rear oflla body modiji'ed whereby the rear is" fo rmed.by eX;A tensions of .the sidemerlbes. joined along the umiddle ,offthe body; `and l:l`i2;,v 7 ffis.' a `trans-A verse zcrosssectional view-'taken `along th`e.liiie T T-toerig It-liasbeenfthe praetioetheretoore togconf.4 vstru'ettlie lo'odiesfoitetoy.yehiolesypartioularlyyy those toys@ representative of L automoloilesg .O

wooden` trames z and: light: gsheetf; metalfrlarle l' elsriailedaor otherwise Lattaohe'ditov,therwood enr'amesasi Mgyi invention: contemplates; the f.' eonstruction `fof? a toy :automobile body iformed' throughout `of pressed metal part'sanidifreie-- tionwof tlfe bodyfmayf comprise#a'ohassisi ,thereby permitting incorporation of La `full in .myj `prior applicationA Serial No. 1.641,6161,i fildMay 26,1923;ori-atvehiole' As shownfin thel drawings, the'present-emt bodiment of my invention is oomprised'o two H longitudirral body'members 1'9 and" 10b `which arej'bomple'mentary in 'contour' and form the hoo-dg'the'cow'l and the 'sidewalls' of thefbody: These members maybe joiiied'alorrgr they-hood* and `foowl i1oo.rti'oiis` thereofg' byan inverted seam'formed'by inwardlyextendirigabutting" flanges lland 1221s shownain;Figa15.7-A `The fronti-ofthe body-may' be `completedl by.A flanged'pahel member'in'thefform'of :an imi:

tation' radiator 13 riveted 'flortothe'rwise "serbyl avsloping 4panel member .llljoined '.toiithe side 1 portions'ofthe: members; i9 fand f1.0and

eej

to' a transverse'reinforcementjirr the 'na-.r Y

ture of'a seat structure'asiwillhereinafter be' described;

To-reinforce; the vside porti-onsiof `ther-body f mm-bers 9 :aud-l0 wh'ereby' the body"l mayl be provided-with a;-.builtinchassisoonstruotion,

to 'engage ir'rwardlyV angedportions *19t and' bers'rrmy -beb seoulred'itogfthe fbodyf members 9"J and 10 byanysuitable"means'suchi as rivetsMv 28 'extending through the iside walls' of i:the bodyl and'yertioallyextendingportions 'ofthe braoletsrgf IrrayJ be attached? suitable sp ring yg Tlfewtrarisverse-reirlforcirg oflthe body is effected the *seat` structure as shown in Figs; l, 2fandf4" whioh-*may comprise a'bottom' seat member 30"?ormed L offshootr metal suitably ribbedfadlarigqdas 'shownindigs QlarrclfI to ar'df attachment to an arouately Vformed spring suspension orthe body as illustrated back mem-ber'l" n lThe baokememtber may eX;

' seat member. `The back body member 14, ofv

tend the width of the body and have the top edge thereof merge with ,the contour of the top edges of the side members 9 and 10 whereby a suitable reinforcing bead 32 may be formedabout a wire cord 33, thus .affording a Vvconvenient manner of finishing the exposed top edges of thebody members and the course, may have the forward edge thereof shaped .to .closely ttheback ofthe member31. j i i.,

AThe bottom seat member, as shown in Fig.

Q4, is provided with a downwardly extending portion 36 relieved at itscenter toprovide clearance for propelling members (not shown). The seat portion 36 is also provided;

rigidity to the body'and to comprise in imitationof a dash or instrument board disposed immediately adjacent the edges of the body topopening. j t

If desired, a package compartment 42 may beprovided at the rear of the vehicle body. This compartment may Vbe formed bya pressed metal box structure 43 set into'an opening formed in Ythe rear member 14 and may be secured to the rear member by a supporting bracket 45, the opening Vin ythe 'body member 14 being flanged as .shown at 46-in Fig.` 2, whereby the box structure 43 `may be more rigidly secured to the body, preferably by welding. The box structure may ex tend` substantially the width of Vthe body wherebyit may comprise a transverse bracing.

' or reinforcingforthe rearV of the body as shown in Figsfland 2. A cover is prot vided to close the compartmentand may comprise a flanged steel plate and` a hinge member 51 secured to the inner face of the body member 14 and to the'plate member.

Thelower rear portion of thebody mem- I bers 9-and 10 and the rear closure 14 which are not reinforced by the sill structure, herelinbefore described, may be suitably reinforced by Hanging or by the bead structure 54 and 55, shown in Fig. 2 which may extend com-V pletely around the back edges of the body. and

forwardly to the rear ends of the sill structure.

The appearance of the body may be made to further conform to the general appearance of an automobile by the formation of louvers58` formed in the hood portions of the side-members 9 and 10 and Lby the formation of ribs 59 anduodefning the hood and cowl portions of the body members. 'The sidewall members may Valso be provided with ribs 61 and 62 located yadjacent the seat structure to represent a side door.

In Figs. 6 and 7, vI show, a modiedform of body construction whereby the-rear portion of the ybodyis formed entirelyby extensions of the side members. In this construction the rearendportions Vof the side members may -be formed in' manner similar'to theformation of the front portions whereby they may be joined at the back alonga median line. As shown in Fig, the end portions of the two 'members forming the body may be shapedtopresent a sloped appearance, theV slope of the portions 70 extendingfrom the seat back 32 withthe topl edges formed by curved portions 71. The back edge may be Y curved to blend with .the side'edge radii if desired... As shown in Fig. 7 inwardly extending flanges 73 are formed along the abut- `ting edges of the back portions of the two members whereby `the back of the members may be joined in thek samey manner as the `front thereof. VVhilek introducing such curved surfaces linto the designs of the body members Vwould seemto complicate the man-` ufacture thereof,`I find that by first forming i the body inhalvesand completing the assem-.

bly of the sill structure, brackets, etc.,before i imparting the final formation to the lbody members, the body may be quickly assembled.

This is particularly truewhere the body Vcomprises primarily but Vtwo metal members joined along amedian line at the front and back ofthe body.V Only-the seat structure,V the bracket .40 Vand dash piece 41 need thereafter be assembled in the body. l

It will be readily seen that my invention affords an extraordinarily rigid but light construction for-an all metal bodyformedof V"thin gauge sheetvmetal andy that the natureV of the construction issuch that the vehicle Y may be provided with a full springV suspension attachabledirectly to the body. Also,-

thatthe construction is such asto further thel Y general likeness to an automobile without detracting from the rigidity of the body. It is to be understood that if desired the body could be constructed of three major pieces, namely, two side members oined at the front in the manner described and joined at the rear by a centrally Y disposed seam, the radiator comprising the third member of the bodyv Y andthe sill construction and seat construction VYcould be'as'shown and described herein.

It..should, also be noted that -where the l ally lbraced by the built-in metallic seat structure-,at the rear brackets and by the pedalV and steering .column bracketl at the front spring brackets, thus affording an open botvtomY body constructionofj extreme rigidity Vspring brackets are attached to the sill strucf tures ofthe lside walls, these walls are laterand which will permit the use of a full longitudinal lspring suspension for the body.

I claim:- e l. A vehiele body comprising two pressed metal members forming the hood, cowl and Y side walls of the body, a pair of laterally flanged substantially straight sill members substantially uniform in cross section and secured to the lower edges of saidside pressedV lo metal members and terminating substantially midway between the ends of the said pressed metal members, sai-d sill members diverging toward the rear of the body, a anged seat member connecting the said pressed metal members above the rear ends ofthe sill members to substantially complete the body bracing, said pressed metal members converging toward the rear of the body from the ends of the sill members to form a stream line efj feet and means joining the rear lends of said pressed metal members rearwardly of the seat to close the body.

2. In a juvenile vehicle body, the oombination of a pair of pressed metal side mem'- bers forming the hood, cowl, and sides of the body, said members being joined together along the central vertical plane of the body, a sheet metal rear body member closing the back of the body and joined to the side members, and a seat structure comprising two pressed metal members, one being substantially vertically disposed and in abutting ren r lation to the front edge of said b'aok member with its ends curved into overlying relation to the side members and joined thereto, the other member of the seat structure being a sheet metal plate bent downwardly at its front edge for vertical support and extending rearwardly to form a seat bottom panel, the

40 rear edge of the panel being flanged, and the flange being joined to the verticallydisposed` seat member, the ends of said plate being joined to said side members to serve as a tie between these members.

5 3. In a juvenile vehicle body, the combination of a pair of sheet metal side members having cowl and hood forming front portions i extending inwardly and joined forwardly of the body, means joining the side members ,.0 rearwardly of the body and formingv a rear top closure, said means and s side members Y forming' a rounded seat opening, and a curved sheet metal seat back member disposed in abutting relation to said ymeans and having its ends overlying and joined to the side members, the top edges `of the side members, deflning the forward portion of the seat opening, being ourleclto form a bead, and the said seat backmember having. its top edge simi- 63 larly curled to form a bead, this bead merging with the lbead formations of the side members. l i

In testimony whereof, I hereunto attix my signature. l

j JAMES Hows. 

